Fortress in the News
Lack of cyber funds in Biden infrastructure plan raises eyebrows
President Biden's $2.25 trillion infrastructure plan does not include any funds to protect critical infrastructure against cyberattacks, even as the threat grows against targets like the electric grid.
State of the Electric Utility 2021: Utilities’ cybersecurity approach shows cause for concern, experts say
Power companies are more focused than ever on cybersecurity, and experts say results of Utility Dive's 8th annual State of the Electric Utility (SEU) survey show an industry working to better secure the grid. But they also say the responses reveal cause for concern — including the potential for misplaced utility efforts and under-investment in...
National infrastructure plan could strain CISA despite modernizing systems
President Biden on Wednesday announced a $2 trillion infrastructure plan, offering a broad range of spending targets – including fixing roads and bridges, planting a nationwide electric vehicle charging network, greening the power grid, and rebuilding schools. Cybersecurity was not specifically mentioned as part of the infrastructure plan, but...
The Cybersecurity 202: Here’s how Biden’s infrastructure package could address electric grid cybersecurity
President Biden unveiled a $2 trillion-dollar jobs and infrastructure plan today, Jeff Stein, Juliet Eilperin and Michael Laris report. The plan includes at least at least $100 billion for a variety of infrastructure priorities, including modernizing the electric power grid.
Northrop Grumman Cyber Report: Cyber Survivability; Exercising w/ The Army
On this week’s Cyber Report, sponsored by Northrop Grumman, Jim Conroy, the vice president of emerging systems and strategic initiatives at Northrop Grumman’s Navigation, Targeting and Survivability Division, discusses securing the military internet of things and open architecture systems, and Andrea Schaumann, the federal operations deputy at...
As legislators work toward law requiring companies to alert feds to breaches, key hurdles emerge
After two major hearings on Solarigate, one domestic policy proposal grabbed the spotlight: requiring organizations to alert the government to major cyber incidents in the interest of national security. Experts say the idea has merit – if only legislators can balance the promise with the potential liability and burden placed upon industry.
What to watch for cybersecurity in Biden’s first 100 days
As new fallout and revelations emerge from the massive SolarWinds hacking campaign that hit multiple U.S. agencies, a barrage of other online threats is likely to challenge President Biden's pledge to boost cybersecurity.
Biden suspends Trump order on bulk power system security pending 90-day review
An executive order signed by President Joe Biden last week included the 90-day suspension of an order issued by his predecessor aimed at fortifying the nation's bulk power system against malicious cyberattacks by foreign adversaries.
Critical Infrastructure Left in the Dark About SolarWinds Hack
U.S. officials and cybersecurity experts believe the SolarWinds attackers were elite operatives carrying out a Russian espionage operation targeting the American government and entities close to it. Yet, nearly a month after we first learned of the sprawling campaign, intelligence gaps persist, ones that will likely take at least a year to close...
FBI scrambles to assess damage from Russia-linked US government hack
U.S. officials have been scrambling to assess the damage from a potentially devastating breach across multiple U.S. government computer networks, include those at the State, Commerce and Treasury departments, and the nation's cybersecurity agency on Thursday issued an alert saying the threat posed "a grave risk to the Federal Government and...
NiSource Joins the Asset to Vendor Network in Push to Secure US Utilities
NiSource, one of America's largest fully regulated natural gas and electric utilities has joined the Asset to Vendor Network (A2V), a national cybersecurity information-sharing collaborative focused on the utility industry.
Mixed Reactions on Looming DOE NOPR for Bulk Power System Security
The Department of Energy (DOE) will issue a notice of proposed rule-making (NOPR) to implement President Trump’s broad bulk power system (BPS) security executive order (EO) “later this fall,” a DOE official confirmed to POWER on Oct. 5. Though the NOPR is delayed beyond the 150-day timeframe set by the EO, various BPS stakeholders are awaiting...
Power Sector, Federal Entities Scramble to Close Supply Chain Security Gaps
Marking another major federal effort to address potential supply chain risks to the bulk power system (BPS), the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) on Sept. 17 sought industry’s perspective on a number of important considerations, including possible actions the regulatory body could take to address security gaps. The U.S.-based power...
FERC investigates risk of foreign adversary-supplied bulk power equipment, with focus on Huawei, ZTE
If utilities are forced to pull suspect components from the grid then the cost implications could be significant, according to Tobias Whitney, vice president of energy security solutions at Fortress Information Security. The average utility could spend $9 million up front to address the order and over $1.2 million per year to maintain a...
Security experts cast doubt on FERC, NERC cyber intrusion response report findings
Utilities are working hard to keep hackers out of their networks, but intrusions do occur. FERC and NERC's new report focuses on common elements found among effective Incident Response and Recovery (IRR) plans.
Power Companies Brace For Supply Chain Shake-Up From New Cyber Rules
Many electricity companies and vendors are holding their breath as the Trump administration finalizes new limits on foreign equipment in an effort to bolster the U.S. power grid’s cybersecurity. The May 1 executive order to cut reliance on suppliers from countries like China leaves in a lurch power companies that rely on global supply chains for...
Proposed rules to protect power grid raise concerns
Energy industry owners and operators are growing increasingly nervous about new rules proposed by the Trump administration in an effort to limit foreign threats to the grid. The rules, proposed by an executive order to protect the bulk power system signed by President Trump in May, could severely restrict the ability for grid equipment and other...
Proposed rules to protect bulk power grid from foreign targeting raise concerns
Energy industry owners and operators are growing increasingly nervous about new rules proposed by the Trump administration in an effort to limit foreign threats to the grid. The rules, proposed by an executive order to protect the bulk power system signed by President Trump in May, could severely restrict the ability for grid equipment and other...
Concerns Raised Over Plan to Protect Nation’s Power Grid
Proposed regulations by the Trump administration to reduce threats from foreign countries to the nation’s power grid are increasingly worrying energy industry owners and operators, The Hill reported on Sunday. “The recognition that certain assets in the system are used on the grid should not be supplied by a certain adversarial country, that...
A2V Network Promotes Energy Grid Cybersecurity
The Asset to Vendor (A2V) Network for power utilities, a joint venture between Fortress Information Security and American Electric Power (AEP) birthed in November, 2019, aims to promote collaboration among electric companies to protect the U.S. power grid from cyber threats.
Hitachi ABB Joins Supply Chain Security Network
Hitachi ABB Power Grids has agreed to join the Asset to Vendor Network for Power Utilities, a cybersecurity-focused information sharing network for the North American grid.
Hitachi ABB Power Grids Joins Effort to Protect Power Utilities from Cyber Threats
Hitachi ABB Power Grids is joining with Fortress Information Security (Fortress) as a participant in its Asset to Vendor Network (A2V), which will enable the company to quickly and seamlessly share information about its cybersecurity preparedness with United States and Canada-based power utilities. Leading companies such as American Electric...
Is the electric grid closer to a devastating cyberattack that could mean lights out?
Could the electric grid really be taken down with a $50 device secreted in the bottom of a coffee cup as some researchers have claimed? Perhaps. But the more likely threat comes from bad actors with markedly improved capabilities who’ve ramped up their attacks on critical infrastructure and utilities. Consider that 70 percent of industrial...
Utilities face growing ransomware threat as hackers improve strategy, execution
The energy industry faces an increasing threat from financially-motivated hackers. Experts say more companies are paying, and ransoms are rising.
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